100 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 29, 1886. 
make a sowing of the Early English or Early French Horn at this time. 
They will he ready for use by October and remain good throughout the 
winter. They may be sown on ground recently cleared of Potatoes, 
merely levelling the soil down and sowing without further manuring. 
The rows should be 15 inches apart and the drills 2 inches deep. The 
young plants must be thinned as soon as they can be handled, as it is 
only by a'tention to this that early roots are formed. 
Lettuce and Endive. —The plants raised from seed sown some 
weeks ago are now ready for transplanting, and as these will give a supply 
in late autumn and early winter they may be regarded as an imp >rtant 
crop requiring good attention. In lifting them from the seed rows put a 
label or something else under the roots to ease them without breaking too 
many of the fibres. Select soil for them in some favourable part of the 
garden, and put them in rows 1 foot apart each way. Sow more seed of the 
Improved Broad-leaved Batavian Endive and Hardy Winter White C is 
Lettuce. This sowing is the one which produces plants for a supply 
throughout ihe whole winter. Do it well. 
Drying Herbs. —Dried herbs are most u«eful in winter ; indeed, 
cooks cannot get on without them, and a supply should always be pr vided 
Now is a g >od time to cut and dry them. Large quantities of such herbs 
as Sage, Mint, and Thyme should be cut, as these are always in demand. 
Growths without blossoms are the best. They should always be cut when 
quite dry, and if they are spread out in some airy place, but not exposed 
to the sun, it will be found they dry well and retain their colour. They 
should not be tied up until quite dry. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Melons.— Late Fruit. —If Melons are required very late a last sowing 
should now be made. Plants from this sowing will be fit to place out in 
about a month, and they will set their fruit in September, and the fruit 
will be ripe in November ; therefore, it will he necessary to employ a 
light well heated structure for this crop, otherwise fruit of high quality 
will not be assured. Bottom heat will be necessary ; therefore, if it is 
afforded by fermenting materials they must be thrown in a heap, turned, 
and watered, sj as to secure the needful ftrmentation, and escape of rank 
steam. 
October Fruit .—Melons are acceptable at dessert for shooting parties 
if only from a decorative point of view, some having a partiality for the 
aroma. The plants for this crop must be placed out at once, giving them 
about a couple of barrowfuls of soil each, made into a flattened cone or 
ridge, the soil being about 12 inches deep. Good loam, neither heavy nor 
light, is most suitable, and if not over fermenting material add a fifth of 
fresh hor*e manure and a sixth of old mortar rue bish. Make the compost 
very firm, and have it in a moist state before planting. Turn the plants 
out carefully, they having been watered overnight, so that the roots will 
come away freely from the sides of the pots and make the soil firm about 
the ball. Keep the stem slightly raised, and water to settle the soil 
about the roots. The plants must be encouraged to make a free growth 
by syringing at closing, and damping avadable surfaces in the morning 
and in the evening of hot days. Ventilate between 70° and 75° and keep 
the temperature through the day at those figures by artificial means, 
85° to 90° from sun heat, and close so aa to raise it to 95° or 100°. Through 
the night the temperature may fall to 65°. 
Crops Swelling Off .—The plants must not be over-burdened with 
fruit. When the fruit is fairly swelling reduce the number to two on a 
weak plant, three on one moderately vigorous, and four on a strong plant. 
Very strong ( r large plants may be allowed to carry six fruits. Over¬ 
cropping is highly prejudicial to quality, and the truit requires all the 
solidity that can be given it ; theiefore keep the growth tairly thin, all 
having full exposure to light. Earth up the plants, giving copious 
supplies of liquid manure, and damp available surfaces with liquid manure 
once or twice a week, but it is best to give it more frequently and weak. 
Stop laterals to one joint, and if this is likely to crowd them too much 
thin th-m. Place supports to the fruit in good time, and slanting so that 
water will not lotge upon them. Syringe from 3 to 4 p m. or earlier, and 
rai>e the temperature to 95° or more. Wi'h due supplies of water at the 
roots shading will not be necessary, only the houses have the en Is north 
and south the sun will be so powerful in the afternoon on the west side 
that a slight shade becomes necessary. 
Late Plants in Pits and Frames. —The latest plants are setting their 
fruit, it heiuri important that the fruit be st-t at the close of July or early 
in August to allow time for its swe'ling and ripening. Give a good 
watering before the flowers opeD, and line the sides of the frame and bed 
with hot dung or the mowings of lawns, and give a little ventilation con¬ 
stantly at ihe top (so as to prevent the deposition of moisture on the 
bloiwoms) until the fruit is set and commences sw-lling. Impiegnate the 
bloss ms daily, and when a sufficient number of fruits are obtained on a 
plant on about an equal age remove all flowers and keep the growths well 
stopped, main'ainmg a warm moist but not stagnant atmosphere by early 
clo-ing wi h sun heat, sprinkle oveihevd on fine attem ions, and affording 
water in bright weather about twice a week. 
piruit /* ipening .—Keep the a’mosphere dry, and a top hest of 70° 
to 75° by art fical means, admitting a little air constantly, a free circula- 
laticin of ra her dry warm air greatly improving the quality and finish 
when 'he fruit is ripening. Water should he withheld from the hou-e 
i nt 1 there is fruit advancing in swelling, when au occasion-il damping 
wib be necessary for the benefit of the foliage 
Peaches and Nectarines. — Early Houses —If possible, remove 
the rout lights so as to expose the tree-* to t l e refreshing influences o 
the atmosphere, rain hav ng a particula'ly cleansing effect, ant ti e 
borders wiih the late summer rams get thoroughly moistened, the buds 
in consequence plump well, and are not likely to be cast, besides complete 
rest is assured. 
Second Early Houses .—The fruit is now cleared off the trees. The 
wood on which it has been borne this season should be cut away to the 
shoots, trained in from the base, except they are extensions, and if there 
is more wood than will be needed for next year’s fruiting, or the duo 
furnishing of the trees, cut it away so as to let in light and air to those 
that remain, and admit of the better application of water for the cleansing 
of the foliage of red spider by means of the syringe or engine. Ventilate 
freely day and night, and keep the inside borders well watered. Weakly 
trees must have liquid manure, and over-luxuriant trees must have the 
roots pruned when the trees have completed their growth and the foliage 
is getting ma’ure. They should also be kept rather warm in the daytime, 
and the ventilators throwD open at night. 
Fruit Ripening .—Keep water from the fruit, but maintain a moderate 
amount of moisture by damping available surfaces occasionally, and do 
not allow the trees to become dry at their roots. Keep the leaves clear 
of the fruit, and place some soft netting beneath the trees, and looped up 
so that the fruit will not damage each other in falling. This is an old 
but lazy practice. The better plan is to look over the trees every morning 
for ripe fruit, and remove it carefully, keeping it in a cool airy fruit room. 
When dead ripe the fruit is soon damaged, and is not nearly equal in 
flavour to that gathered at the right time. 
Succession Houses .—Every needful attention must be given to syring¬ 
ing to keep off red spider, and the inside borders must be well watered 
and mulched, also outside borders if the rainfall be inadequate. The 
shoots must be regularly tied in, and to assist the colouring and ripening 
of ihe fruits they should be exposed as much as possible to the influence 
of the sun and air by shortening the foliage overhanging it. When the. 
fruit is on the under side of the trellis the shoots may be untied and 
regulated so as to bring the apex to the light, supporting the fruit by thin 
laths placed across the wires of the trellis. 
Latest Houses .—SyriDge morning and afternoon on fine days. Water 
the inside borders once a week, and mulch with short manure. The 
outside borders must Dot lack moisture. Feed weakly trees with liquid 
manure, but not those having a tendency to over-luxuriance. Tie in the 
shoots regularly, and keep them rather thin. S'op gross shoots so as to 
equalise the sap, or remove t"em altogether. When the fruit is swelling 
after s'oning close the houses somewhat early in the afternooD, so as to 
run up to 85° or 90°, and admit a little air at the top of the hou-:e before 
nightfall. Admit air early, and increase it with the sun’s power, and 
reduce in like manner, keeping at 80° to 85° through the day fiom sun 
heat. 
£3 
HE BEE-KEEPER. 
NOTES ON BEES. 
Not until the 17th of July did we experience genial 
weather, which was the first good honey-gathering day of the 
season, and in fact the first one we could get to advantage 
to divide several stocks into nuclei with safety and success. 
That was just the kind of day to manipulate, when several 
hives queens were piping and others swarming—a rather 
common occurrence this season with stocks not intended to 
swarm. The hitherto barren season and scarcity of honey 
had encouraged more breeding than would have been had 
the honey been more plentiful, which a3 a rule induces the 
bees to swarm more readily than when honey is abundant. 
With the matured queens and advanced worker brood of our 
pure stocks I should have managed very well to have formed 
sufficient nuclei for my purpose, and with the assistance of 
frames of brood and young bees from swarmed stocks after 
the royal cells in formation had been excised I have more 
young queens than are required for my purpose. Many of 
these nuclei are strong, and will without further assistance, 
if the weather be favourable, gather surplus honey. 
During the time of manipulation all went well. Not a 
bpe was killed nor was there any stinging, but one remark¬ 
able incident occurred. One of the hives had been preparing 
for swarming before I began manipulation, and after all was 
fiuished and without the slightest appearance of commotion 
or swarming one appeared amongst the trees, doubtless made 
up by the bees from all the nuclei along with the queen that 
had intended to swarm first, thus proving that the bees do 
pre arrange those that are to leave; confirmed by the fact, 
too, that although the old stock is removed a distance in 
order to strengthen the swarm, the bees of the former wilL 
not join the latter as wanted, but will persistently refuse-, 
seek the old stock and enter it, and hum briskly to attract 
